by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:02 AM ET, Tue September 27, 2022
A new report highlighting the best countries of 2022 named Switzerland the top nation in the world, with the United States finishing fourth overall.
According to the Best Countries list from U.S. News & World Report and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Switzerland earned the top spot for the fifth time in six years, thanks in part to its commitment to quality of life and social purpose attributes.
Germany finished second overall, while Canada, the U.S. and Sweden rounded out the top five. Japan was the sixth-ranked country overall, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Denmark rounding out the Top 10, respectively.
The rankings were determined using attributes grouped into 10 subrankings, including entrepreneurship, agility, social purpose, quality of life and more.
The U.S. was ranked first in two categories, Most Powerful and Most Agile, and third in Most Forward-Looking. Sweden topped the Social Purposes category, while Sweden was ranked No. 1 in the Women category and the Netherlands topped the list for Racial Equality.
"In general, countries do not shift to any great degree from year to year," Wharton School professor David Reibstein said. "But in 2021 and 2022, we witnessed more turmoil than in any of the previous seven years of this study, resulting in more change in how people viewed countries."
"Perhaps the greatest shakeup influencing the rankings this year is the conflict in Ukraine, the insecurity within Europe itself, the threat of possible nuclear confrontation and the total disruption of energy supplies," Reibstein continued.
The war between Russia and Ukraine influenced the perception of both countries on the rankings list, with Russia dropping to No. 36 and Ukraine climbing to No. 62. Poland, Lithuania and Romania also moved up in the rankings.
As for overall study findings, data revealed that 85 percent of respondents believe inflation will worsen and 79 percent agreed with the statement, "I approve of my country's efforts to protect its citizens from the COVID-19 pandemic."
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